Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods, programs and systems that create a workflow from a work specification that is saved in a computer readable format.
Description of Related Art
In the field of computer applications for business, there has recently been proposed a document centered architecture (document centric architecture), which is gradually being adopted. For example, there are available articles such as http:www-06.ibm.com/ibm/jp/provision/no55/pdf/55_sec_public.pdf.
With a document centric architecture, most work is started while considering a document or text material a trigger, the documents needed for work are collected, and the process is completed by creating another document. In this case, the documents handled by the work include information needed for executing the work. When following a document centric architecture, the system is constructed based on documents and jobs, with a single job forming a work unit that creates a single document or a plurality of documents in one occurrence.
Stated differently, a document centric architecture is an architecture in which a single activity for a work operation is concluded, from the reference of documents to the creation and revision of documents, within a document repository. An advantage is that it is easy to develop a system modularized for each work operation activity.
However, a document centric architecture has problems in that it is difficult to understand the linkage between designed work activity support systems, and in that connections to the work cannot be verified.
Relative to such problems, there exists the following former technology.
Japan Unexamined Patent Application Publication H07-44358, discloses a manufacturing support system of software that creates programs based on a data flow diagram, system flow design diagram, screen transition diagram, and screen form diagram, all of which are presented on a display. Based on the flow of data between the system flow design diagram and each type of diagram, it forms a structure by establishing an input-output relationship component for creating and registering access relationships for input-output and reference processing required during deployment of program components, an item transition definition component for registering transition conditions for each item by use of the definitions in the screen form diagram, an item dictionary definition component for registering such as input-output check procedures and creation procedures for each item by use of the definitions in the screen form diagram, and a component registration component for registering deployment procedures to the program components by use of the definitions in the component deployment definition screen.
Japan Unexamined Patent Application Publication H09-16383 discloses a process in which, in response to selection of screen transition display function, a screen transition data creation processing component is started by a main system component, screen transition data for the applications is based on screen data and processing flow data created and saved by a screen data creation processing component and a processing flow data creation processing component, and the screen transition condition is output and displayed on a display device in accordance with the screen transition data.
Japan Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2008-158632 discloses a process in which display of screen transition is controlled, by a controller, in accordance with definition information for flow, in order to link an image creation device with the workflow of server device.
Because they presume the existence of workflow, Japan Unexamined Patent Application Publication H07-44358 and Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2008-158632 do not align with a document centric architecture that does not maintain such a flow in advance.
Japan Unexamined Patent Application Publication H09-16383 discloses the creation of flow from a screen transition display function, but it is technology that makes connections between screens by presenting a description for the transition target screen in the program processing flow, and this is not sufficient for use within a document centric architecture.